Automobile-speed-control apparatus



W. H. MUZZY.

AUTOMOBILE SPEED CONTROL AP-PARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. 1916.

1,368,282, Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

5: A} 1% INWENTOR.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES 1 WILLIAM H. MUZZY,

01'! DAYTON, OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE-SPEED-CONTROL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1916. Serial No. 82,659.

To all whom it may canoe m: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Muzzy,-

a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile- Speed Control Apparatus, ofwhich I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

4 This invention relates to improvements in automobiles and has more particular relation to improvements in speed controlling devices for the same.

The object ofthe invention is to provide means, which may beset at any desired number of miles per hour and which will so control the engine as to cause a constant speed to be maintained without attention from the driver and irrespective of grades.

The invention consists of a speed controlled, speedometer or. governor arranged to establish or break a circuit according to the position of the index hand or other controlled part, and a throttle controlling motor or actuator electrically connected to the circuit controlled by the index hand.

The inventionv also consists of certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts all of which will be here-' inafter more particularly set forth and claimed. J

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 representsa detail side elevation of the devices comprising'my invention applied to the manifold of a gas engine and to the front wheel of an automobile, many of the parts being omitted for clearness, part of the manifold being in section, and

Fig. 2 represents a detail side elevation of the speedometer or governor. In general terms my invention maintains a constant speed of the automobile by making 'and breaking an electric circuit by means of the index hand of a speedometer, the circuit breaking devices being first set to the mileage it is desired to maintain constant.

1 represents the manifold of an explosive gas engine, 2 the carbureter connected to the lower end of the same and 5 the usual throttle located in the manifold or the upper part of the carbureter as the case may be. Oneend of the axle 5 of the throttle protrudes from the side of the manifold for arm 14 is rocked and the throttle-5 opened or closed. 'When the bar is to the extreme left of its travel, as shown in Fig. l, the throttle 5 is fully open and the englne takes a full charge through the manifold and exerts its maximum power to increase the speed. The throttle 5 can be so set on the shaft 5 that it will not be fully open when the bar 7 is at the left end of its travel, if desired.

The bar 7 is mounted in standards 18 of Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

theframe 17 which latter is supported by a suitable bracket 33 on the main. frame 1 of the machine. The bar is normally pulled toward the right by a coil spring 20 conlioiected to one of the standards 18 and the ar. of this spring to open the'throttle by a small electric motor 51 mounted on the frame 17 and carrying a gear 22 on its armature shaft 52. This gear 22 meshes with a large gear 23 carrying a small gear 24 which meshes with a similar gear 25, this latter gear meshing with rack teeth 19 formed on the bar 7 All of this reducing gearing and the armature shaft 52 is mounted in a side frame 53 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 for clearness.

A wire 55 connects one terminal of the motor to a contact strip 27, while the other terminal is connected by a wire 38 with the storage battery 39 or other source of electrical energy such for instance as a generator operated by the engine.

The bar 7 is provided 'th a pendant lug 26 of insulating material which when the bar is moved to the extreme left position as shown in Fig. 1, contacts with the upper end of a spring contact strip 28 and forces the same to the left into contact with a strip 29 and out of contact with the strip 27 which it normally engages. ture block 31 is mounted on the strip 28 and this is held by the iron core of an electromagnet 30 when the strip 28 is moved to the left as above described. A wire 34: connects the strip 29 to one terminal of the magnet 30, the companion terminal of this magnet being connected to a wire 35 WlllCh is also connected to one terminal of an An arma- The bar'is actuated against the tension net 21 to the wire 38.

Less

electro locking magnet 21. A wire 36 connects the companion terminal of the mag- The strips 27 28 and 29 are insulated from .each other and from the frame 17 by insulating blocks 32 to which they are-attached and which in turn are suitably secured to the frame 17. 4

By following the circuits abovedescribed it will be seen that the motor 51 is controlled by the contact strips 27 and.;28

while the magnets 21 and-3O which are in extended, as the core of'the magnet 21 engages the under side of the bar and by its magnetic attraction firmly holds it. The

bar 7 loosely rests upon the core of the:

magnet 21 as. it is being-moved.

I As the magnet 30 is energized at the same time as the magnet 21 the "strips '28 and 29 are held in contact even though the bar? might settle back enough to move the lug 26 away from the strip 28.

The bar 7 is thus held with throttle open until the circuit through wires 37 and is broken when the magnet21 will release the bar and the magnet 30 will release thestrip 28 and permit itto spring-back into contact with, the strip 27. a l

. The wire 40 connects one terminal of'the battery 39 to somemetal part of the speedometer 3. I t

This latter is of any desirable type in which an index hand 12 travels over a dial a marked with difierent notations for miles per hour, and is connectedby flexible shaft 6 to gears 41 and 42 operated by the front traction wheel 42*- of the automobile. The hand 12 is provided with a contact block 47. An arm 10 is pivoted on the insulating base 44 of the speedometer as at 45 and carries a segmental arm 10" which plays through an insulating block 46 mounted in the wallof the speedometer and carries a pin 11 so positioned as to contact'with the block 47 when the arm 10 1s moved away from its normal position, shown in Fig. 1, by its operating thumb knob 43. The wire 37 is connected to the pivot of the arm l0.

When the arm 10 is in its home. position shown'in Fig. 1 the "present automatic throttle control devices are all out of operative condition and the rod 7 may be moved forward by a loose sleeve 8 mounted to slide thereon until it contacts with apin 13 carried by the rod when the latter. will move. I with the sleeve. This sleeve isronnected by a link 9- with any suitable hand control de vices mounted on the steering post so that the throttlemay be opened or closed at will, the sprmg 20 moving the bar 7 back'as' the ,asa

sleeve is retracted. When it. is desired When the pin 11 contacts the block 47 the circuit is completed through the mo- ;tor 51 by wires 37, 38, 40 and 5 5 and contacts 27 and 28. The operation of the moton moves the bar 7 to the left and opensthe throttle 5; the bar being held in its left hand position by the magnet 21 motor circuit is broken.

,As' the speed of the machine increases unafter the miles per hou'n Any increase after this .point is reached will cause the hand '12 to inove-to the righ away from the pin ll and will thus break the circuit through the magstant speed the pin 11 and contacthlock 47 are striking and separating a number of times and the motor when energized may not open the throttle fully before a the contacts are again separated. This will cause the throttle to hang suspended in any desired position by innumerable motor impulses and counter operations of the spring 20. Wheni this period in the operation is reached, it

will be understood, that the motor alone is being energized and that the magnets 21 and 30 are not energized and donot enter into the operation again until there is some decided change in the speed of the machine,

such as encountering a grade.

It will be seen from" the above that if the devices are set for 20 miles per hour that the throttle will be automatically opened when up grades are encountered and closed on down grades with all the intermediate flucbe instantly thrown outof operative cond1-.

tion shown in Fig. 1.

One of the principal defects in motor op:

This movement 'dertheppenthrottle,it finally reaches 20 tion by returning arm -10 to its normal posieratedvehicles today is the constant hand 1 operation of the throttle when the machine is passing over rolling country and the lack of a constant speed- My improved devices take care of this automatically and a constant speedof any selected number of miles per hour is maintained without any thought from the operator. I 1

It will of course be understood that any suitable type of governor operated by varying speeds may be substituted for the speedometer shown and control the circuits in practically the same way. It will of course be understood that other forms of electric actuators such as solenoids, magnets, etc., may be used in place of the motor without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The bar is provided with a pin 50 that contacts with one of the standards 18 to limit the movement of the bar under the impulse of the spring 20.

It will of course be understood that the speedometer is mounted on the dash within easy reach of the operator of the machine.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters .Patent is:

1. In an automoblle the combination with a throttle and connections, of an actuator for opening the throttle, independent means for closing the throttle, means actuated by the actuator for disconnecting it from its sourceof power, and a'governor and connections for controlling the actuator.

2. In an automobile the combination with a throttle, of energy'operated mechanism for moving the throttle, means for cutting 011' the energy after an operation, independent means for holding the throttle set after the energy is cut ofl", and a speed controlled means for governing the application of the energy.

3. In an automobile the combination with an engine, of a throttle for the same, a governor moving at the speed of the automobile, automatic actuating devices for the throttle,

a .hand operated throttle setting device,,

means connecting the hand operated device and the automatic actuating-devlces whereby the latter may move'independently of the former.

4. In an automobile the comblnation =Wltl1 a throttle for the engine, of means for ad- 'justing the same from the drivers seat, a governor movlng wlth the speed of the automobile, and automatic means connecting the governor and throttle for moving the latter without moving the hand operated means.

5. In an automobile the cpmbination with a throttle and throttle controlling devices, of an electric motor for operating said devices, means for holding the devices set independent of the motor, a speed controlled governing means for the motor and holding means and a source otelectrical energy connected to the motor.

6. In an automobile the a throttle and throttle controlling devices, of an electric actuator for the same, a source of electrical energy connected to the actuator, means for breaking the circuit to the actuator after it has completed a stroke, independent means for holding the throttle devices after the circuit to the actuator is broken, and a speed controlled means for making and breaking the circuit to the actuator.

7. In an automobile the combination with a throttle and throttle controlling devices, of an electric motor for actuating the same, a speedometer connected to the running gear of the machine, an adjustable circuit controlling device mounted in connection with the speedometer to automatically move the throttle to maintain a constant deslred speed, and a source of electrical energy connected to the motor and controlling device.

8. In an automobile the combination with combination with 

